How OLIPOP Became a $2B Soda Disruptor — with CEO Ben Goodwin

#OLIPOP #FunctionalBeverages #betterforyou
Most beverage brands start with a white space.
OLIPOP started with a mission: fix soda’s health problem at the root.

In this episode of Business of Drinks, co-founder, CEO & formulator Ben Goodwin breaks down how OLIPOP became one of the most important disruptors in modern beverages — and one of the fastest-scaling brands in the U.S.

This isn’t a typical founder story. Ben spent 20 years studying the microbiome, formulating from kitchens and laundry rooms, and building a science-backed functional system long before OLIPOP hit shelves. The result: A soda built around gut health, nostalgia, and research — not trends.

We get into the full playbook behind OLIPOP’s meteoric rise:

🔶 The early science: How gut health, prebiotics, and blood sugar stability shaped OLIPOP’s R&D
🔶 Category-building: Why OLIPOP created “modern nostalgia” instead of marketing toward abstinence
🔶 The Whole Foods moment: How the brand sold out in 24 hours and signaled early product–market fit
🔶 Hypergrowth realities: Why triple-digit growth creates intense cashflow pressure — and how OLIPOP managed it
🔶 Scaling without shortcuts: Purdue partnerships, in vitro research, ingredient stability testing, and human clinical trials
🔶 Brand psychology: Why emotional taste memory is OLIPOP’s hidden moat
🔶 Leadership lessons: How Ben scaled from formulator to CEO of a 200+ person company
🔶 The mission: Why OLIPOP is committed to real functionality, not “lightly dusted” prebiotics
🔶 Where soda goes next: The surge of strategic interest as Big Soda enters the category

With more than 50,000 retail doors, 200+ employees, triple-digit growth for years, and a valuation approaching $2 billion, OLIPOP is now one of the defining case studies in modern CPG.

Whether you’re building in functional beverages, NA, RTDs, energy, soda, THC, or adaptogens, this episode is packed with transferable insights on category creation, operational discipline, scientific rigor, and scaling a brand without diluting the mission.

Listen to the full conversation with Ben Goodwin — and subscribe for more founder insights from Business of Drinks.

#BusinessOfDrinks #CPGInnovation #GutHealth #CategoryCreation #SodaReinvented #BeverageFounders #Entrepreneurship #BrandBuilding #ConsumerPackagedGoods


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Erica Duecy, co-host:
Erica Duecy is founder and co-host of Business of Drinks and one of the drinks industry’s most accomplished digital and content strategists. She runs the consultancy and advisory arm of Business of Drinks and has built publishing and marketing programs for Drizly, VinePair, SevenFifty, and other hospitality and drinks tech companies.
LinkedIn:   / erica-duecy-4a35844  
Instagram @ericaduecy

Scott Rosenbaum, co-host:
Scott Rosenbaum is co-host of Business of Drinks and a veteran strategist and analyst with deep experience building drinks portfolios. Most recently, he was the Portfolio Development Director at Distill Ventures. Prior to that, he was the Vice President of T. Edward Wines & Spirits, a New York-based importer and distributor.
LinkedIn:   / scott-m-rosenbaum  

Caroline Lamb, contributor:
Caroline is a producer and on-air contributor at Business of Drinks and a key account sales and marketing specialist at AHD Vintners, a Michigan-based importer and distributor.
LinkedIn:   / caroline-bork-lamb  
Instagram @borkaline

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